TAXI Music Helps Musicians Keep 100% Of Their Income

TAXI has been helping songwriters, artists, and composers get record, publishing, and film and TV music licensing deals since 1992. As the company moves into its third decade in business, an ever-increasing number of opportunities for musicians to place their music directly in TV shows and Hollywood blockbusters have occurred.

Although TAXI continues to help musicians get their songs and instrumental tracks into catalogs of music libraries, film and TV music publishers, and music licensing agents, it’s the increasing number of requests that come directly from Hollywood’s top film and TV music supervisors that delight the company’s founder, Michael Laskow.

Musicians Keep All the Money…

“Everybody laughed at me when I started TAXI. They thought it was insane that I wasn’t taking at least half the money from the musicians who got deals through us. I thought it seemed more reasonable to get a small membership fee that worked out to less than a dollar a day,” explains Laskow.

“If a songwriter licenses a single song into a movie trailer and gets $50,000 for that placement, they’d normally give up $25,000 to their publisher. If they get that same placement through TAXI, they’d keep the entire $50,000,” continues this passionate music business change agent.

Laskow further explained that, “If somebody hits the jackpot and has a huge radio hit that earns $1,000,000 in performance royalties over time, they’d keep the whole million if they got that deal through TAXI. If they had a publishing deal on that very same song and placement, they’d end up splitting that million with the publisher.”

With the music industry in a major slump, and an abundance of great music available because home recording technology has become so good, income and fees to musicians are dropping at an alarming rate. So, while some people were initially quick to criticize TAXI for taking an upfront fee, in hindsight, Laskow’s idea appears to be a prescient stroke of genius.

“Not all of our opportunities are directly to the music supervisors or licensors. We want to provide every legitimate opportunity we can for our members, so we still run Industry Listings for publishers and music libraries as well,” says Laskow.

Here are some examples of TAXI’s Industry Listings:

Major New York Ad Agency U-R-G-E-N-T-L-Y needs a (quoting the agency here): “Cool, energetic ROCK/Punk-ish SONG with a DISTICTIVE and DRIVING beat. Lyrics COULD come into play, but they don’t need to be TOO specific. General, UNIVERSAL LYRICS about POWER, CONTROL, RISING ABOVE, and/or BEING a BADASS, could work. An EDGY SONG with a REAL BITE that reinforces how TOUGH this TV spot’s main character is will work best for this pitch. This TV spot has very little Voice Over in it, so the SONG WILL LITERALLY DRIVE THE PACING of the spot. We’re looking for MODERN, UPTEMPO, CONTEMPORARY SONGS that give a nod to PUNK and HARD ROCK of yesteryear. We’re open to BOTH Male or Female vocals with plenty of attitude! The Clash’s ‘Janie Jones’ is a great example of the TEMPO and TONE we need for this spot.”

As always, DO NOT rip off the reference track in any way, shape or form. Use it ONLY as a guide for TEMPO, TONE and VIBE/ATTITUDE. ESTIMATED FEE is $60,000 for this spot. This is DIRECT-to-the-Agency, so you’ll KEEP 100% of this deal with NO Publisher Splits! Broadcast Quality is needed (excellent home recordings are fine). You must own or control 100% of the Master and Composition rights. Full-length songs are preferred. DO NOT title your SONG like you would for a music library. Give it a cool, Indie Band-like title. If you ARE chosen, the Ad Agency or the Music Supervisor will contact you DIRECTLY. Please submit one to three SONGS online or per CD. Please include lyrics.All submissions must be received no later than TODAY, NOVEMBER 28th at 5pm, (PDT). TAXI Listing #Y111128PR

SINGER/SONGWRITER ARTISTS inspired by the styles of Neil Young, Van Morrison, Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, etc., are needed by a well-respected Independent Label looking to sign new, contemporary artists. They need performers/songwriters that have a CLASSIC, TIMELESS sound. Literate and descriptive lyric themes are a MUST. An AUTHENTIC, EARTHY and WORLD-WEARY sound is the key component to what they’re after. ALL tempos are OK. MALE vocals ONLY. Be sure to submit songs that show off your talent as performers and songwriters. This listing will be screened by a screener hand-picked by the label. Broadcast Quality recordings are needed (excellent sounding home recordings are fine.) Please submit two to three songs online or per CD, include lyrics/photo and bio. All submissions must be received no later than Tuesday, January 22, 2013. TAXI # Y130122SS

PRESIDENT of A&R at a MAJOR RECORD LABEL is looking for POP/ROCK ARTISTS/BANDS in the style of Maroon 5, The Script, OneRepublic, etc., QUOTING THE SOURCE: “Artist/Bands must have star potential with fully developed songs that represent their direction.” They’ll be looking for songs that are COMMERCIALLY COMPETITIVE and are able to hold their own with the referenced artists. Melodies should be captivating and maintain the listeners attention from beginning to the end. Vocals must be STRONG, with SOLID hooks and melodies that scream RADIO! MID-to-UPTEMPO songs will work best here. NO ballads please. CD sales, touring experience, and an Internet presence are big bonuses – be sure to mention this info in your bio! Vocal and instrumental presentation must be top-notch! Please submit two to three songs online or per CD, include lyrics/photo and bio. All submissions must be received no later than Monday, January 7, 2013. TAXI # Y130107PR

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TAXI Music is the world’s leading independent A&R company, helping songwriters, artists, and composers get record, publishing, and film & TV music licensing deals while keeping as much of their income as possible.